“Cannot wait to go out there and bowl” - India pacer Mohammed Siraj all set for practice game in Durham

Team India pacer Mohammed Siraj has posted a picture of himself bowling in the nets ahead of the three-day practice match against County Select XI in Durham.

The practice game between the Indians and the County Select XI will be played from July 20-22 at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street. The tour game was not part of Team India’s original itinerary earlier but the ECB arranged for the same on the BCCI’s insistence.

On Tuesday, Siraj uploaded a picture from India’s practice session in Durham and wrote:

“Preparations done. Cannot wait to go out there and bowl. Lovely weather in Durham. #TeamIndia #INDvENG. Eid Mubarak to everyone #staysafe.”

Despite impressive performances in Test cricket over the past few months, Siraj was not picked for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand. The experienced Ishant Sharma was preferred ahead of him for the summit clash at Southampton.

India faced massive backlash for dropping Siraj from the WTC final playing XI since he was the only genuine swing bowler in the team.

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KL Rahul to don gloves in Team India’s warm-up game

KL Rahul will be the wicketkeeper during India’s warm-up clash against County Select XI.

Rishabh Pant, the main keeper-batsman in the Test squad, will be unavailable for the match in Durham, having tested positive for COVID-19 on July 8. Although he has completed his 10-day isolation, he hasn’t joined the Indian camp as yet.

The other wicketkeeper in the squad, Wriddhiman Saha, is also in quarantine in London. Pant is expected to be available for selection for the first Test at Trent Bridge, starting August 4. Saha's availability is still yet to be revealed.

India were given a three-week break following the conclusion of the WTC final on June 23. Despite the spread of COVID-19 in the UK, Pant and a number of members from the Indian contingent were seen at sporting events, where crowds were allowed.

Two squads 🤜🤛Fielding drills 🙌A run-through #TeamIndia's fun drill, courtesy fielding coach @coach_rsridhar ahead of their practice session 👊 - by @RajalArora #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/NXZ4LI0aPR

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 19, 2021

Pant and Jasprit Bumrah attended EURO 2020 football matches while coach Ravi Shastri and Ravichandran Ashwin were seen at Wimbledon. On July 15, the BCCI confirmed that Pant had tested positive for COVID-19 and was in isolation.